Dear John,

Donald Trump is demanding that Congress eliminate all funding from public radio and television, and it’s closer than ever to actually happening.

The House of Representatives voted to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved federal funding for public broadcasting, and the Senate has a July 18 deadline to vote on the cuts and make them final.

Local stations are already saying they will have to shut down if these cuts go into effect, killing the only source of reliable news and information in small towns and rural communities around the country.

Honestly, it breaks my heart.

We’re sounding the alarm and mobilizing grassroots support to stop these cuts from passing the Senate. But this is the moment of truth. If these cuts pass the Senate by July 18, it’s over. Will you make a monthly donation to help get out the truth and fight the defunding of public broadcasting?

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I’ve personally appeared more times than I can remember on public radio and television shows. As Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, I always knew I’d get tough, smart questions from their interviewers.

But Trump knows that honest, independent journalism is a huge obstacle to authoritarianism. He wants a world in which the only news sources are Fox News and MAGA-owned social media platforms like Twitter/X.

Shutting down public radio and television stations will eliminate some of the most trusted and reliable sources of news and information anywhere — opening the door for Trump to push even more rampant disinformation on the public.

I can’t overstate how devastating these cuts would be.

But don’t take my word for it: Listen to the people running local public radio and television stations, who describe the cuts as a "crisis," a "punch to the gut," and a "death sentence.”

Thankfully, solid majorities of voters oppose the defunding public media. But with the House voting to defund public broadcasting, we must make our voices heard and ensure that these cuts don’t pass the Senate.

Will you make a monthly donation to help alert the public, educate the citizenry, and stop Donald Trump’s plan to defund public media?